Noelle Filoteo Young

Lab Manager, Ph.D. Student Researcher

Noelle (she/siya/afti) is a third-year counseling psychology PhD student pursuing a minor in Integrated Behavioral Health. Noelle holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Noelle is a biracial immigrant to the United States, interested in the experience of womxn in the academic space, immigrant mental health, and the effect of social phenomena, such as prejudice and discrimination, on clinical outcomes. Outside of academic work, Noelle enjoys traveling, learning new languages, working out on a Megaformer, and finding great dessert spots!

Stephanie Zackery

Ph.D. Student Researcher

Stephanie Zackery, MS is a PhD student at New Mexico State University with a master’s degree in counseling from Oklahoma State University. Her research interests include vocational psychology, mentorship, and the experiences of Black and Native American populations.

Katia McEvoy-Holguin

Ph.D. Student Researcher

Katia Denisse McEvoy-Holguín is a Mexican American mujer immigrante navigating various personal and physical borderlands. Her experiences as a former undocumented immigrant have made her deeply aware of how coloniality shapes systems and everyday life, including counseling psychology. Her desire to pursue a PhD is rooted in her commitment to fostering meaningful change in psychology and knowledge acquisition. Katia believes incorporating decolonial approaches into research is essential, emphasizing collaboration over extraction and prioritizing the voices of marginalized communities through methods that de-center Western knowledge production. Her academic work focuses on decoloniality in training programs and the interpersonal journey mental health practitioners take when actively incorporating decolonial approaches into their practice. She aims to ensure that those facing similar barriers have access to equitable training and see their knowledge and experiences represented in the field.

When not learning about decoloniality, Katia finds joy in crafting stories and poems, often with her cats as witnesses and music in Spanish and English playing in the background. She also enjoys her role as a graduate assistant at the Chicana Latina Studies Journal, sharing coffee with loved ones, finding solace in coffee shops, and watching the 90-Day Fiancé franchise, where she can name every cast member and spin-off, even if it’s gotten a bit too dramatic.

Taylor Roberts

Ph.D. Student Researcher

Taylor is a third-year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program at NMSU. She completed her undergraduate education at Virginia Tech in 2018, earning a B.S., in Psychology and Certificate of Recognition for Clinical Neuroscience. She earned her M.S., in Counseling Psychology at Tennessee State University in 2021. Her research interests include the psychology of work, cyberpsychology, geek therapy, and trauma informed care. In her free time, Taylor enjoys music, cooking and baking, video games, and TTRPGs.

Gabrielle Balek

Ph.D. Student Researcher

Gabrielle is a second-year Counseling Psychology PhD student at NMSU. She’s originally from the Chicago area and received a B.S. in Clinical/Community Psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include radical healing, or how factors like critical consciousness and collectivism can help people of color and other marginalized communities cope with and combat systemic oppression. In her free time, Gabrielle enjoys reading/writing poetry, crocheting, and playing video games with her partner.

Oliva Mota Segura

Program Coordinator, Ph.D. Student Researcher

Oliva (she/hers/ella) is a first year Counseling Psychology doctoral student at NMSU. She was born and raised in San Diego, California. She received her B.S. in Biology-Physiology and Neuroscience from UC San Diego and her M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University. She is a Mexican American first generation college student. Her experience navigating STEM research and academic spaces as a first gen Latina inspired her to engage in research focused on BIPOC student support in STEM. She pursued research in social and education psychology to explore the social identities and experiences of students in STEM research labs. While engaging in research, Oliva also engaged in leadership roles centered in counseling and mental health advocacy for BIPOC students. Her current research interest includes exploring the STEM experiences for women of color in academia, support group healing, and exploring forms of decolonizing graduate education. Her clinical interest includes group counseling, bilingual therapy, and culturally responsive therapy.

In her free time, Oliva enjoys exercising, traveling abroad, and listening to, dancing to, or playing traditional Mexican music.

Research Publications: 1. ATP Modulation of GJ 2. Perceptions of Culturally Aware Mentoring

Maria Dunn Gelves

Ph.D. Student Researcher

Maria (she/her/ella) is a first-year Counseling Psychology PhD student at New Mexico State University. She was born in Venezuela and raised in Houston, Texas. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of St. Thomas, as well as a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-Associate) in Texas. Before starting her PhD, Maria gained clinical experience providing services to justive-involved youth and conducted research in both medical and educational settings. Her research interests focus on bilingual interventions for underserved and immigrant populations, with an emphasis on how cultural, social, and trauma-related factors influence treatment outcomes for Latine communities. In her free time, Maria enjoys music, going to the gym, trying new food, and spending time with her village.

Odalys Lozado

Ph.D. Student Researcher

Odalys (she/ella) was born in Ecuador and raised in Minneapolis. She is a first-generation college graduate and earned her B.S. in Biopsychology from Augsburg University in 2023. After graduating, she began working as a bilingual Research Coordinator with the Behavioral Health Equity Research Group at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute. Her current research interests focus on ethnic and racial identity development, as well as cultural risk and protective factors in Latine communities, with a strong commitment to community-based participatory research. She is also interested in expanding her clinical skills to provide bilingual therapy. Outside of her professional work, Odalys enjoys practicing Pilates, visiting local coffee shops, and spending time with her family.